ANKARA - Turkish Energy & Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler said Friday the Haydar Aliyev Sea Terminal of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) crude oil pipeline has loaded the 300th tanker since it was inaugurated in 2006.
"Shipment from the pipeline began on June 2nd, 2006 and the pipeline was formally inaugurated on July 13th, 2006," Guler told A.A correspondent.
Guler said the Haydar Aliyev Sea Terminal in Ceyhan town of Turkish southern city of Adana loaded oil on an Indian-flagged tanker "Jag Lakshita" on Friday.
"Thus, the number of tankers loaded at the terminal reached 300," he also said.
Guler said the terminal has shipped 241 million barrels of crude oil so far.
According to Guler, oil was loaded on tankers of 21 countries and Greece topped these countries with 68 tankers.
Guler said BOTAS International, the limited country that runs the crude oil pipeline, has earned 84 million USD of operation income so far.
"The port services revenue was 13 million USD and the tax revenues were 48 million USD," he also said.
The BTC pipeline carries Azerbaijani crude oil to the terminal in Ceyhan via Georgia. The oil is shipped to world markets from the sea terminal in Ceyhan.
1,776-kilometer BTC pipeline has a capacity to ship 50 million tons of oil to world markets p.a. 1,076 kilometers of the pipeline is in Turkey's territories.
"British Hawthron" was the first tanker that was loaded with the oil transported through the BTC pipeline on June 2nd, 2006.